This invention relates to a display device useful in merchandising articles, and, more particularly, to a shelf device having a pusher member for pushing articles forward on the shelf.
Articles for sale are more appealing when they are displayed in a neat and orderly manner. Merchandising display shelves are used to help give order to articles for sale. Some articles can be arranged neatly in stacks on the shelves, while other articles can be arranged in orderly rows. Unfortunately shoppers have a tendency to topple neat stacks and dishevel orderly rows thereby requiring an attendant to restore order to the articles. Not only is this time consuming and expensive, it often places the attendant in a shopper""s path making shopping less efficient. It is desirable to have a merchandising device that helps maintain the articles in an attractive arrangement.
In refrigerator and freezer units in supermarkets and other stores, articles, such as packages of frozen food for example, are often stacked on wire shelves. It does not take very long for the articles to become disheveled requiring a shopper to sift through numerous packages to find the desired package. Also, articles at the rear of the shelf are difficult to reach, and almost impossible to reach without incurring freezer bum or wet clothing as a result of the effort. There are track devices for dividing a wide shelf into narrower channels which help keeps articles in orderly rows. Many of these are bulky and unsuitable for use with frozen vegetables and other food articles. Also, many depend on gravity feed to advance articles forward for removal.
There are pusher devices that push articles on a shelf forward for easy removal, but many of these devices lack ventilation. To be useful in a refrigerated environment, there must be adequate ventilation. Also, some devices only push the articles without addressing dividing the articles into rows. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a pusher device that divides the shelf into rows and pushes the articles forward while providing for ventilation.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. According to one aspect of the invention, a pusher apparatus pushes articles on a shelf in a display case forward where the article is removed. The pusher apparatus has a partition panel for dividing the shelf into first and second segments. The partition panel has a front and rear end portions, first and second parallel top rails, and first and second parallel bottom rails. A first pusher panel has a top channel riding on the first top rail and a bottom channel riding on the first bottom rail, and a second pusher panel has a top channel riding on the second top rail and a bottom channel riding on the second bottom rail. A first coil spring has one end portion fastened to the front end portion of the partition panel and has the other end portion in contact with the first pusher panel. The first spring coils to move the first pusher panel from the rear end portion of the partition panel toward the front end portion of the partition panel. A second spring has one end portion fastened to the front end portion of the partition panel and having the other end portion in contact with the second pusher panel. The second spring coils to move the second pusher panel from the rear end portion of the partition panel toward the front end portion of the partition panel.
A hook, adapted to engage a slot in the shelf, extends downwardly from a bottom of the partition panel. When engaged, the hook prevents relative forward motion between the partition panel and shelf. A stop member is attached to the front end portion of the partition panel. The stop member abuts the shelf thereby preventing forward motion of the partition panel relative to the shelf.
An article is loaded on the shelf by pushing a pusher panel to the rear and inserting the articles in front of the pusher panel. As the pusher panel is pushed to the rear, the spring uncoils to apply a forward bias to the pusher panel. As an article is removed from the front of the shelf, the spring coils pushing the pusher panel and remaining articles forward.
These and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and appended claims, and by reference to the accompanying drawings.